MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two Memphis artists unveiled a mural for Tyre Nichols Sunday outside a North Memphis restaurant, celebrating the life of the 29-year-old whose death after a Jan. 7 traffic stop sparked national outrage.
David Yancy, one of the artists who worked on the mural, said the piece outside the Steve A. Castle House of Rhythm and Blues is the second painting he's done to memorialize Nichols. The first was painted on a skateboard and presented to the Nichols family.
"I got the A-OK to do this mural from his family," Yancy said. "I just think its really important to be able to memorialize him in Memphis, so a lot of different emotions go through my mind when I'm doing a portrait or painting."
Yancy said, if Tyre was still alive, he feels like they could have been friends.
"I felt like, you know, I could've got the chance to really know him," Yancy said. "Overall he left a very good impression on how to be a good person. Vice-versa of that picture of him being in the hospital being beaten and bruised, that's not how he should be represented. This is the way he should be represented."
Nichols died Jan. 10 after a traffic stop by Memphis Police on Jan. 7.
His death sparked national interest once more details were released about the case.
Five MPD officers were fired and charged with killing Nichols, while a sixth was later fired for his involvement.
The 29-year-old father loved skateboarding and photography. ABC24 learned that Nichols family said he was on his way home from taking photos of the sky on the night the traffic stop occurred.